The Details!

Jan 11, 2011

Sock Snowmen

This morning when I went out to take my daughter to school it was -12. That is too cold for my blood and despite the beautiful snow on the ground there is NO way you're getting me outside to make a snowman. So, instead, I'll opt for the inside version made out of socks. They're easier to make, last longer and dare I say it... they're cuter too.

Want to make your own? Here's how:

You'll need the following:
1- white sock. Use one that has a mid-calf or knee high tube on the top.
decorative socks (the argyle ankle socks shown plus many other styles are at Target for $1)
Rice for filler
twine or ribbon
rubberbands
buttons
something for the nose (I used the top of a bbq stick that I painted orange)

Step 1: cut the foot part off of your sock and discard. You only need the tube part. This is great if you have socks that are worn or have holes in them.

Step 2 & 3: Turn the tube part of your sock inside out and wrap a rubber band around the bottom. Make sure it is wrapped tightly. Then turn it inside out again so the rubber band is on the inside.

Step 4 & 5: Fill the sock with rice. Be sure to push the rice down as you go. This will stretch the sock a bit and make it so you get a nice plump snowman in the end. Then, close the top by wrapping another rubber band around the top as shown in the photo above.

Step 6: Taking the ankle socks, cut as shown above. The first one, you'll cut off the toe and the heel. The second sock you'll just cut off the heel. And, I should note. If you have a sock that doesn't have a mate and it's a longer than an ankle sock, you can dress your whole snowman with just one sock.

Step 7, 8 & 9: First, take the sock without a toe and a heel and put it over your rice filled sock. This becomes the sweater. Then, pushing the rice down to make a solid base, tie a piece of ribbon or twine around the bottom of the sweater. Next do the same thing with the top of the sweater like shown in the middle photo above. And, last but not least, add the hat. The hat is the other sock that you cut up that still has the toe. (To make it look less like a sock, I tied some twine on the top.)

Step 10: Next you add your embellishments. Eyes, nose, buttons etc... you can sew them on if you want but I went for fast and just used hot glue.

And there you have it - the cutest, easiest, little snowman you'll ever make. I whipped this little guy up in less than 10 minutes and I didn't even get cold in the process.

Here is one of his friends: This guy was made the same way as the one above only I didn't add the twine at the bottom of the sweater.

Just some quick tips:

- you could sew the sock instead of using a rubber band.

- beans work too, don't limit yourself just to rice

- use socks that don't have mates then you don't have to buy new ones

- the argyle socks came from Target and they have a TON of different patterns for $1

- the striped socks are actually mid-calf toe socks so only need one sock instead of two

- you can add mushed up potpourri to the inside so it will smell good too.

these are darling....I am usually a class room Mom and these would be an easy project for a holiday party. Totally bookmarking this for next year! And thinking maybe a Valentine's version could work for our upcoming 3rd grade party!! cute idea! I have seen other versions of this, but yours is way cuter!!

Hi Amy,You have a wonderful blog... full of great crafty projects. These snowmen are adorable!

I'm the Craft Editor for Reader's Digest Association (Milwaukee branch) and am interested in one of your previous craft posts for an upcoming publication of Country Woman magazine. I didn't know how else to contact you so I thought that I'd make a comment about it. If you are interested, please get in touch with me for more information. My email address is Shalana_Frisby@rd.com - I hope to hear from you soon. We would really like the opportunity to feature your craft and blog.

I love this! And on my blog we're doing a series called "Making our Homes like Heaven in 2011" and this week we're tossing out our unmade socks! I just put a link to this post on the facebook page in case someone wants to use those socks to make something cute ;)

I love your snowmen! I found you thru Wendi Gratz's Shiny Happy World, and she does find the very best of stuff to swoon over! Great job, and so cute for no more of a time investment that they are! I bet my grand kids would like to make these guys! Thanks so much for sharing! Andrea

My son and I just spent a day making these for his friends for Christmas presents. Went to the charity shop to get all the socks. They look fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing this idea they are just adorable and am sure his friends will love them.

Love these! Just made them with a friend and a little tip we discovered is that you definitely need a mans tall/knee sock for these. We bought womens crew socks and lets just say they are going to be the snowman kids lol!

I saw these snowmen on Pinterest and LOVE them. Made a couple for my mom and put the post over on my blog, of course giving you the credit for your creativity. check it out if you'd like!http://twohensandmonkey.blogspot.com/2011/11/once-there-was-snowman.html

Thank you Thank you Thank you! Love this craft and am sitting here making them right now! Made the first one all the way through to see if mine would turn out even half as cute as yours (I have a talent for totally destroying any good idea!) It turned out fantastic, your instructions were perfect and so simple to follow with all the details and pictures. Just wonderful! Now making several more!!! Happy Crafting!

OMGosh, these little guys are sooo very cute. I also just ran across ur site. ur tutorial is so great, easy to understand(which I like,ha) got my socks ready to be made up...what fun!!! thank u so much. am going to put one in each of my grandkids stocking's..MERRY CHRISTMAS..

Had so much fun making this on Thanksgiving with the whole family! What a creative and wonderful idea. Thank You! We used recycled partner-less socks, stuff from around the house, and for the whole group of us (18) to make the project it only cost the $5 for the huge bag of Costco rice. Thanks! -kv

Here is a link to our snowmen:http://simplesanityinsuburbia.blogspot.com/2011/12/stressfree-x-mas-secret.html

I am among the many that love your idea! I have not read all of the comments, so this may be a repeat...but, I am using men's tube socks, knee high, and cutting them in half. No waste! I also bought fuzzy footies that go above the ankle. I cut the heel part out and use the foot for the hat and the sock part for the snowman's sweater. Hardly any waste there, either! The fuzzy is a little messy, as it wants to shed some, but looks cool! Thank you for posting this idea! It is awesome!

These cuties just melt my heart. I've been collecting snowmen for over 25 years—they just make me smile! Can't wait to add a few of these to my collection. Thanks for sharing your amazing creative art with us! julia holloman

Found your tutorial on Pinterest and just HAD to make these little guys. Have put a link on my blog to your tutorial, hope you don't mind :)http://3peasinapodpapercrafts.com/2012/01/21/its-beginning-…like-christmas

Hello! I just found your blog on Pinterest. Love the snowman. I have a few questions. Can they still work with men's socks? If so, tube socks or crew socks? How tall are the snowmen you made from ladie's socks? I'm thinking snow family. :) Thank you! Terra

I actually went to a scrapbooking store & seen these displayed there.I have made over 50 of them since before Christmas, & have taught friends & neighbors how to make them...I now have a sock fetish...I need to make more...Who doesn't like snowmen!!! By the way I have never made 2 the same. <3Kind Regards,Ann

I love them!! I found your blog on Pinterest... I've just started mine some days ago and I'm quite new to crafts... I've begun scrapbooking two years ago, and since then I've started trying new crafts... blogs are a way for me to catch new ideas, since in Italy those kind of crafts are not so popular, and your blog is really great!

OH MY GOD THESE ARE SO ADORABLE!! I'm unemployed and am trying to find gift ideas for my family for this year. I struggle with my sisters because their tastes are so different than mine when it comes to decorating. These are PERFECT! I can't wait to get started. Cheap, cheap, cheap, too!

My little girls are craft loving kids and saw these and are so excited. We added this inspiration with links to your tutorial on our kids craft website: http://www.holiday-kids-crafts.com/snowmancrafts-snowman-%20tubesock.html

I've been making sock snowmen with my classroom as parent gifts for years. For simplicity's sake, we just use one men's white tube sock for the entire thing (ours are minus sweaters), and are altered slightly from these. We use rice for the bottom, but a styrofoam ball for the head. We use the bottom 3/4 of the sock as the body and the top 1/4 for the hat. For the hat, we tie that portion of the sock off with ribbon about halfway down, and then cut slits in it all the way around down to the ribbon. It makes them look like the adorable "tag" hats kids wear now! We also use a toothpick cut in half, stuck into the styrofoam ball, for the nose.

Hi! I had lots of old socks to throw out, But I didn't want to... So I googled what could I do with, and I found your link. It's a really good idea! Thanks for it. Here are my own snowmen: http://leyahpassion.skyrock.com/3127506085-Recyclage-de-vieilles-chaussettes.html

I found these on Pinterest and had to try to make them. I didn't have everything you used so I substituted stuff. I used kids crew socks, Christmas socks, marbles, polyfil stuffing, rubber bands, felt stickers, markers. The first sock I used I messed up and ended up making smaller ones. If you send me your email I will send a pic of how ours turned out. I'm not sure how to post pic on here. Thank you so much for the idea, my boys and I had a great time crafting together. Little imagination goes a long way. Thanks again. Merry Christmas!

I found your link on Pinterest and fell in love with the little guys! I just made 9 of them to give away as gifts for Christmas. They came out to less than $5 each, so I am happy to have a cheap and adorable gift to give. Thank you!

My friend found these cute little guys on Pinterest. We hosted Craft Night last night and this was our project! Thanks for the tutorial! All the ladies where super excited to make these. We gave you the credit of course!I'm your new follower.

My 9 year old granddaughter made these snowmen for everyone for Christmas and they are so cute. One suggestion for the nose: she used orange foam ear plugs the cone shaped ones. The best ones are made by 3M Soft Foam Ear Plugs, 28dB. Ebay sells them. They are tapered and look like a carrot. She hot glued them on. So cute.

I have probably made over 200 of these sice November 2012. Gifts fo some soft some I made Christmas ones January ones valentine theme and st Patrick themed. I Hadley now adapted them into Easter bunnies.

I absolutely LOVE THESE! My grandgirls and I will love making them. Last year, we made snowmen using baby mittens, a wooden ball head,and rice in the bottom to hold them up. These are a cute variation without the ball head. They have many unmatched socks-I'll have them bring them over and we'll have a ball. Thank You and God Bless!

LOVE these! Just enough rules with way enough room for creative juices! Thank you so much! I discovered using a clean empty container from parmesan cheese works great for filling the sock. Fill it with rice. Shake it down and top it off so that your snowman will be nice and plump. Slide sock over the container opening and flip it back around. TaDaH! Full sock!!

I was looking for a fun, cute and easy project for my Junior Girl Scout troop. Your snowmen were perfect! They LOVED this craft! My daughter is actually sleeping with hers. Thank you for the very thorough step-by-step instructions and clever idea.

Love these snowmen! I saw the link on Pinterest and we used your instructions to make these at this year's cookie exchange party. Everyone loved them and we ended up with 9 really cute and individual snowmen. There's a picture of all of them together on my Pinterest board - http://www.pinterest.com/jlhgabel/2013-cookie-exchange/. Thanks for the wonderful instructions and great idea!

Hello Amy,I am just finishing a post on my version of your absolutely, adorable snowmen. I found them via a link on hometalk that I just added your credit to. I will be linking your original DIY to my post and I hope that will bring you even more followers. I am now your newest!Happy Holidays....I hope that you will like mine, too!JP

These are really adorable..saw some posted in Facebook and decided to Google "sock snowman" and found your blog. Very informative, will definitely keep in mind for next Christmas and will also pass on to my daughter for her elementary school students! FYI...someone commented on Facebook that using rice can sometimes eventually attract "critters" so she used cat litter instead. Just as effective and doesn't attract creepy-crawlies! :D

These are so cute, cheap and easy to make! I started by making a couple for myself and now friends are begging me to make some for them! I've also taught my step daughter to make them. Thank you for making me into the "crafty person" my friends think I am!

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